The Pacific Green Transformation Programme (referred to as Pacific GX), is being implemented across the Pacific SIDS countries of Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu. Pacific GX is funded by the Government of Japan (GoJ) to the tune of USD$36.8M for the period 2023–2025. In collaboration with UNDP’s Climate Promise Framework Pacific GX is being delivered by the UNDP Regional Hub for Asia and the Pacific through the abovementioned UNDP Country Offices. Its primary objectives are to foster net-zero emissions and climate resilience, with each nation implementing tailored clean energy solutions that enhance their capacity to cope with vulnerability to climate change. However, vulnerability among SIDS is multidimensional (UNDP 2024). It crosscuts economic, social, environmental, geographic, and financial dimensions, ibid. Consequently, a core goal of UNDP’s involvement in Pacific GX is to deliver “Energy for Development”.

Based on this understanding, and as part of UNDP´s commitments to the GoJ, an Integrated Socio-Economic and Evaluability Assessment of the Pacific GX has been undertaken with the purpose of understanding the project´s socioeconomic impacts unfolding in the near, medium, and longer term while analysing the projects´ Theory of Change (ToC), overall vertical and horizontal logic, and its gender approach. The integrated assessment includes specific recommendations to improve the four projects´ impacts, their sustainability and scaling potential. It emphasizes the strategic value of continuing Pacific GX interventions through a second phase that is critical to consolidate and replicate its results.